Botswana is now home to the world’s second-largest diamond. This week, the southern African nation’s president Mokgweetsi Masisi and Lucara Diamond Corporation’s CEO William Lamb announced that they’ve uncovered a diamond weighing 2,492 carats.
The massive rock, weighing over 1 pound, eclipses the previous record for the largest diamond found in over a century. The only larger diamond is the Cullinan Diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905, which was cut into the British crown jewels.
This is a big deal for Botswana, since it’s a nation that heavily relies on diamond mining for its economic stability and accounts for around 20% of the world’s diamonds. The diamond industry has taken a hit in recent years thanks to plummeting demand and competition from the synthetic diamond industry.
The diamond was unearthed from the Karowe mine, operated by the Canadian company Lucara Diamond Corporation, which has a reputation for finding huge gemstones. In 2015, it found a 1,109-carat diamond, then a 1,758-carat diamond in 2019. The newest diamond absolutely kicks both of their asses. Lucara used X-rays to find this giant new diamond, which also helped the company dig it up while keeping it fully intact.
Right now there’s no telling how much the diamond is worth, but if precedent is anything to go by, it’s probably worth tens of millions.
The post World’s Second-Largest Diamond—an Insane 2,492 Carats—Dug Up In Botswana appeared first on VICE.
The post World’s Second-Largest Diamond—an Insane 2,492 Carats—Dug Up In Botswana appeared first on VICE.
